Paul Marturano will perhaps be always known for his appearance on American Idol, singing his “Stalker” tune to Paula Abdul. But Marturano is surprisingly a fine pianist and a serious singer/songwriter, too. His 2007 release, Bucks County, is an emotionally involving collection of songs for the dumped. Drawing similarities with Billy Joel, Elton John, and Ben Folds, Marturano nevertheless crafts these tunes with his own seemingly heartbroken vision. The spiteful “Strings Attached” finds Marturano at the peak of his angst, yelling “You can take your love and shove it” with the wounded venom of somebody who isn’t putting up with any more shit. “Hello Again” details the ups and downs of an off-again, on-again relationship. “All You Have to Be” finds Marturano simply looking for the right girl and most likely not finding her.

Those expecting demented chuckles won’t find much of that here. Marturano is an excellent musician, though, and his piano playing can be quite cinematic, especially on “Strings Attached.” On “Me and Joe” and “The Man,” Marturano switches to Americana, complete with jangling guitars on the former. There’s more feeling on this record than anything you’ll hear on American Idol.